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Bear Facts

Our bear has been growling for Ursinus for almost a century.

UC mascot handing out high fives

The Bear comes from the family name of Zacharias Ursinus (1534 - 1583). Like many young scholars of the 16th Century, he gave himself a Latin name, one based on his German family name (Baer) and stemmed from the Latin ursus, (which means “bear”).

  • Ruby cover 1926 Ruby cover 1926 The term “Ursinus Grizzly Bears” appears on a program for a football game with the University of Pennsylvania in 1924. The bear was formally adopted as the college mascot in 1925.

  • A headline in the Ursinus Weekly on June 1, 1925, proclaimed “Bear Officially to Represent Ursinus: Historic Connections Play Big Part in Athletic Council’s Selection.” The article noted that “… the Athletic Council … voted to make the Bear the official athletic symbol of Ursinus College.”

  • A plaque with the bear and inscription “Ursini Collegii Artes Athleticae” was made and the Ursinus athletic teams quickly became known as the Bears.

  • The 1926 edition of The Ruby yearbook embraced the new mascot. The editors noted:   “Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the annual is the introduction of art work of taste and symbolic significance. An art motif carries out the theme of the Ursinus Bear in his native haunts in conjunction with campus activities.”

Bear statue in Helfferich Gym.

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Bear Icon

Fun Fact

  • In the 1920s and 1930s Ursinus rented a farm to grow food for students and in 1939 even sheltered a bear cub named Zachie.
  • AIDAN NADELL '25

    Meet Our Bear: Aidan Nadell ’25

    Aidan Nadell ’25 concludes each email he writes with a simple reminder: “Stay smiling.” Chances are you’ve seen him around campus without even knowing it. He’s often spreading Ursinus pride everywhere he goes as the Bear mascot. Get to know Aidan.